Ben Stiller talked with Entertainment Weekly about his new spoof movie “Tropic Thunder.” In it, there’s a character named Kirk Lazarus, who is an Oscar-winning actor cast in the most expensive Vietnam War movie ever made. Problem is that he dyes his skin because the character is black.

Who has the balls to play this character, you ask? Robert Downey, Jr. Here’s what he had to say about the role:

”If it’s done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago,” Downey says. ”If you don’t do it right, we’re going to hell.”

Wow. Honestly, after Saturday Night Live, Mad TV, and The Dave Chappelle show, we should be used to stuff like this. Except its not just some dumb skit making fun of a taboo. White man plays a black man. Black man plays a white man. And usually the black people are more dead on as a white person. But we’re talking a major motion picture here. So Entertainment Weekly’s interview continues:

“Downey, meanwhile, is confident he never crossed the line. ‘At the end of the day, it’s always about how well you commit to the character,’ he says. ‘I dove in with both feet. If I didn’t feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that I’m just C. Thomas Howell in [Soul Man], I would’ve stayed home.’ (Note: In one scene, he tries to bond with a real African-American castmate by quoting the theme song from The Jeffersons.)

And just in case you were wondering what Stiller and castmate Jack Black do in the movie:

“Stiller plays an action hero who has just adopted a baby from Asia but worries that ‘all the good ones are gone.’ Black portrays a comedian known for performing multiple roles in a single film — his latest is called The Fatties: Fart 2. But when the film’s director (Steve Coogan) and writer (Nick Nolte) get fed up with their prima donna cast, they drop them into the jungle to fend for themselves. The actors think they’re doing some sort of full-immersion filmmaking, but the danger they’re in is very real.”

I’m gonna go ahead and say this movie might not do so well at the box office. Even with box office gold names like Nick Nolte and Jack Black. Robert Downey Jr. sure is throwing himself into some different roles as of late though. He’s playing Iron Man in the upcoming comic book thriller and now this. Iron Man looks somewhat decent but will just play out like Fantastic Four. At least it won’t be as shitty as The Hulk. But “Tropic Thunder”? The trailer comes out on March 17th so I’ll let you decide. And if you’re Irish, you’ll be wasted so get back to me on the 18th.